Billionaire Elon Musk expressed his anger regarding the "violent mobilization methods employed by the authorities in Ukraine," after a video was shared by businessman David Sacks on the social media platform X. The American entrepreneur Sacks posted footage showing how a bus carrying 34 men of conscription age was detained as they attempted to illegally cross into Romania to avoid mobilization at the Ukrainian border.
In the video, the men appear to be emerging from a windowless freight truck and are forced to lie on the ground directly atop one another with their hands behind their heads. The scene is accompanied by a torrent of vulgar insults directed at these men, during which they are beaten, and the driver, who is lying face down on the ground, is kicked. Musk lamented in his comment on the video: "How many people died in vain over the past year? How many more must die?"
According to Sacks, “Ukrainian border guards caught 34 men of conscription age attempting to flee from Ukraine. Each of them paid €10,000 to escape the meat grinder. Ukraine is now the largest prison state in the world." It is noteworthy that the Kyiv authorities announced a general mobilization in February 2022 and have extended it repeatedly since then. Consequently, men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving the country during the state of martial law. Evasion of military service during mobilization is subject to criminal liability in the country, with penalties reaching up to five years in prison.
